Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro [Review]

This is an objectively well written book, and I can appreciate that, but it didn’t “wow” me. Before I explain this though, I should contextualise a little; this is the first Ishiguro novel that I have read, and I knew going into it that the common view is that it’s not his best work. I had the choice around a chapter in to go back and read some of his most well received books or carry on with Klara and the Sun. I decided to read this first, so as not to be disappointed if this wasn’t as good as some of his older work - my logic being that it’s plausible I could’ve read a good book in Klara and the Sun, and then could’ve moved onto some of his other, even better books. This review comes after having read Klara and the Sun (obviously), but before having finished Never Let Me Go. 

The story is set in a future where there is the existence of humanoid robots labeled Artificial Friends (AF for short), which parents can purchase as companions for their unwell children. Klara is one such AF, and in short is bought to be a companion to Josie. The story is from the first person perspective of Klara, who is sincere, observant and patient throughout, but particularly innocent and naïve when we first meet in the store. I have come to learn that this is written in the classic Ishiguro style; it is gentle and composed, and as the reader you simply drift through a story of companionship, love and humanity with no extreme plot twists.

I suppose in a way it can be much more detrimental to contsruct a piece that renders no response at all than an overtly negative one. I found myself not really caring about Josie, her illness, or her family. I know this is at least partly intentional, but it had the unintended consequence of not making any of the characters very personable at all, which made it difficult at times to stay engaged. There is a distinct difference between a character being presented as superficial and just being void of any substance. 

I initially found Klara strange too; what exactly is her purpose? In this future people don’t seem to be perturbed by the generally limited capabilities of AF (Klara is a slightly outdated model of AF as we come to learn, but even still) - she can calculate someones age by looking at them, but is confused by the concept of a boyfriend; she understands basic happiness and sadness, but is confused by the concept of joyful tears. I suppose this is all part of Ishiguro’s wider objective to present human love and human emotion through the eyes of AI, but in terms of the story I’m not sure many people even today would be blown away by a robot companion that has the human attributes of Apple’s “Siri”.

Klara’s character does mature noticeably throughout. At the start she is very reactionary, waiting for Josie’s commands before any action. Even before that when she is in the store she is following the rules of the manager, despite even then having her own ideas. As she develops she becomes distinctly sentient and begins acting on her own accord, and is no longer passive but active in her own story. In the end then, she’s really the only character I cared about. I finished the book in two minds but the fact that I have been thinking about this book since surely gives it some extra points.